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The Divine Right of Kings	By : vinsmouse Category: G through L > Hardy Boys Series Views: 5915 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don't own the Hardy Boys, not making any money, just cheap thrills.

Chapter List
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Chapter 10

As Sam had expected none of the Hardys had any desire to return to their home. He couldn’t blame them; he doubted he would have felt any differently in their shoes. After dropping Laura and the boys at his house he had headed to the office. He hoped to find something more about Wyndham and Tomlinson by the time Fenton called. The investigation was extremely frustrating. As far as he could tell neither man had ever had so much as a speeding ticket. He was just about to check for any sealed records, such as juvenile, when his phone rang. Glancing at the caller id he saw it was the call he’d been anticipating and dreading in equal measure.

“Hey Fenton,” he greeted his partner in a tired voice.

“Sam what’s going on? Has something happened to Laura or the boys?” Fenton wasn’t sure why he asked. If his partner was leaving an urgent message while he was undercover it had to be something to do with his family. Not bothering to leave the local police station he had, immediately after receiving the message, moved to a quiet corner, fishing his cell phone from his pocket.

Sam sighed. “The first thing you need to know Fen is that Laura and the boys will be okay. Right now they’re staying with Ethel and me.”

Fenton closed his eyes, sending up silent thanks. “What happened Sam?”

“Have you ever heard of an Alex Tomlinson or a Gary Wyndham?”

Fenton searched his memory but neither name sounded familiar. He told Sam the same. “Who are they?”

“I can’t tell you that, exactly, but I can tell you what they did,” Sam replied. As gently as possible he explained the happenings of the day before. Finishing up he could hardly believe it had only been the day before.

Fenton had collapsed into a chair shortly after the narrative began. Listening to his friend relating the horror his family had endured was a torture in its own right. By the end of it his heart was pounding and his face had lost all color, bringing concerned glances from the police officers nearby. “Are you sure they’re okay?”

Sam could easily hear the fear in Fenton’s voice. “As okay as they can be, considering what they’ve went through. What worries me the most is the animosity being directed at Laura,” Sam admitted.

Fenton sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face. “It worries me too but I hope with a little time and a few facts being pointed out to them the boys will realize their mother isn’t to blame.” He prayed his words would prove true. “I’m going to make travel arrangements; either a commercial flight or I’ll have Jack Wayne fly out to pick me up, whichever is fastest. I’ll call your house and speak to Laura as soon as I’m done.”

Sam turned back to the computer after the call ended. He hoped to have some news for Fenton by the time he made it home.

Though the television was on Ethel Radley took no notice of it. Her mind was filled with thoughts of her friend Laura and her children. She couldn’t imagine the terror they had experienced; it must have been absolutely horrific. Glancing towards the den, she hoped Laura was managing to get some rest. The anger from her boys certainly couldn’t be helping in that regard. Ethel didn’t understand why Frank and Joe seemed to be angry at their mother. She badly wanted to confront them but Laura had asked her not to interfere. She seemed to think she deserved their animosity, though Ethel couldn’t imagine for what. The ringing of the phone drew her attention and she hurried to answer it before it could wake Laura.

“Radley residence,” she quietly greeted the caller.

“Hello Ethel, it’s Fenton.”

“Oh hello Fenton, I suppose Sam has spoken to you then?”

“Yes,” Fenton answered. “Could I speak to Laura?”

“Of course, just a moment.” Ethel quickly took the phone down the hall to the den. Had the call been from anybody else she would have put them off but she was sure Laura needed the support of her husband even more than she needed rest. Knocking softly on the door she heard a soft reply. Pushing open the door she stepped into the room, holding out the phone to Laura. “It’s Fenton,” she said as she handed over the cordless and left the room.

Laura grasped the phone tightly. “Oh Fenton please tell me you’ll be home soon,” Laura cried.

“I’ll be home by this evening love,” Fenton quickly assured her. He hated to think of what his wife had endured to bring such thick emotion to her voice. His Laura had always been a vibrant, loving woman with a calmness that inspired confidence. To hear her so distraught hurt him in ways he’d never expected. “Laura, love, are you alright?” Fenton was almost afraid to hear the answer. Sam had of course told him that only Joe had been physically injured but there was more than one sort of pain. It was also possible that Laura had hidden information in a misguided effort to spare her family.

“They never touched me Fenton, only Joe,” Laura said, the words choking her. “I’m sorry Fenton, I never should have tried to trick them. I thought I was being so clever when I called Phil the paperboy but that man wasn’t fooled for a moment,” Laura bitterly confessed. “They hurt our son, whipped him bloody, because I couldn’t do as I was told.” Tears streaked her face by the time she finished.

“I would have done the same thing Laura, anybody would have,” Fenton assured her. He hated to listen to her castigating herself for what those animals had done to their son. “They didn’t really give you a choice…”

“Didn’t they?”

“No love they didn’t,” Fenton sighed. “Did you know they would leave anybody alive? No you didn’t,” he went on, answering his own question. “Under those circumstances you had to try whatever you could to get help. I don’t blame you love and neither will the boys after they’ve had some rest and distance.”

Laura sighed. She wasn’t convinced he was right. “I hope you’re right darling.” She took a deep breath, bracing herself. “Did Sam tell you everything?”

“You mean about the one who took Joe into the kitchen?”

“I didn’t do anything to their food or drinks Fenton, I swear I didn’t,” Laura spoke quickly, desperately needing him to believe her.

It hurt to hear the obvious desperation, all Fenton could do was assure her of his trust. “I believe you love.”

“Thank you,” Laura spoke just above a whisper. “I only wish Frank and Joe did.”

“I doubt they’re thinking clearly right now love. I’m sure once their heads are clearer they’ll realize you wouldn’t lie to them about anything so important.” A beep alerted Fenton to an incoming call. “Laura I have a call from Jack. The sooner I talk to him the sooner I can arrange to get home,” he apologetically explained.

“I’ll see you this evening darling,” Laura replied before reluctantly ending the call.

Sam stared at the computer screen. He’d found a probable answer in the FBI database. He was sure he would be sick as he read the information. He called Collig with the suggestion that he run Wyndham and Tomlinson’s prints through the FBI database of unsolved crimes. Receiving a promise of a call back as soon as the chief knew anything he ended the call. He glanced at the clock on the wall, noting that Fenton should be arriving home in a few hours. As it had turned out it was faster to have Jack Wayne fly to pick him up than it was to wait on a commercial flight. Fortunately the man was available and had been able to start out immediately.

Long before Fenton’s arrival Sam had received confirmation of his suspicions from Collig. He wanted to be angry with the feds for not sending out an alert, warning people, but he had to admit their reasons were sound. Sam wasn’t so sure his partner would agree, not when it was his family that had suffered at the hands of these psychos.

Fenton hurried his pace, the look on Sam’s face telling him something had happened since they’d last talked. “Laura, the boys?” he gasped the question the moment he was close enough to be heard.

“Nothing’s happened,” Sam quickly assured the other man. “I do have some news though,” he continued.

“What do you know?” Fenton demanded.

Sam sighed. “It’d be better if I tell you somewhere more private.” He saw Fenton’s brown eyes narrow in suspicion. “I’m not putting you off Fen but this isn’t something that should be talked about in public.”

Fenton nodded and followed his partner to the parking lot. Placing his bags in the trunk he climbed wearily into the passenger seat. The moment the doors shut he turned to Sam, demanding answers.

“As we suspected this isn’t their first crime,” Sam began. “I searched everything I could think of and wasn’t finding anything when I had an idea. Following my hunch I entered the parameters of their crime, looking for similar occurrences. That’s when I found them…in the FBI’s unsolved crimes database. Collig ran their prints through the database and got a match.”

“How many?” Fenton asked, his voice tight with anger.

“This was number thirteen,” Sam replied. He winced, the curses uttered by Fenton were an indication of his anger level. Sam didn’t blame him.

“Why didn’t the FBI issue an alert? If they had warned people maybe Laura and the boys wouldn’t have gone through this.”

Sam breathed deeply, organizing his thoughts. “They couldn’t and after I explain I think you’ll understand why.”

Fenton gave his partner a sharp look. “Go on.”

“These men always attacked a family, though the make-up of the family varied. Some were single parent households, some two parents, socio-economic levels varied as well. All had at least two children but the ages and genders weren’t always the same either so they couldn’t go by that. Locations changed too, the Midwest, South, East coast, West coast, pretty much all over the U.S. The only thing the families had in common was the fact they were happy until the attacks.”

Fenton sighed, he didn’t want to admit it but the detective in him wouldn’t allow for any other option. “You’re right I do understand. How do you warn people under those circumstances without creating a panic?” He wasn’t sure he wanted to know what else had been discovered but Fenton knew it was necessary. “What else?”

“After breaking into the homes they would choose one child as the whipping boy, though not always a boy. Just like with Laura and the boys they would torment the family, focusing their attention on the chosen child. When they left they told the families that if they didn’t call the police or FBI their child would be returned in three days, if they did alert the authorities their child would be sold to the highest bidder. It was a bluff. Some of the families contacted the police some didn’t; the children were all released at the end of three days.” Sam looked away; he couldn’t face Fenton while he told him the rest. “Each of them had been repeatedly raped and tortured during the three days, though they all insisted it was only Wyndham who raped them that Tomlinson tried to protect them from him. When the feds pointed out that Tomlinson had hurt them, even if he didn’t rape them, they said he only punished them when they deserved it.” The thought of any child believing they deserved such things made him sick, that Joe Hardy might have become one of them only made it worse.

“My god,” Fenton gasped. “Anything else?” he asked after some moments.

“Each of the families dealt with the aftermath differently but one thing was true in each case. The happy family that had existed before the attack was destroyed.”

Laying his head against the seat, Fenton let the tears fall.

TBC...

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The Divine Right of Kings